Memorial Day 2018 CA Travel Guide: Gas Prices, Peak Traffic Times

CALIFORNIA – Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, and Americans will kick off the season by traveling in near-record numbers.

Nearly 42 million Americans will hit the road, travel by train or take to the skies this Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA. That's roughly 5 percent more people than last year and the highest number of travelers in more than a dozen years, the organization said.

It will be congested in the Golden State, where Californians are expected to break travel records. According to AAA, close to 5.2 million Californians will travel over the upcoming three-day weekend – up 5.3 percent from last year and the highest number on record for the holiday.

In fact, California is home to one of the top 10 travel destinations for the holiday. Anaheim, home to Disneyland, is the seventh most popular spot for Americans this Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA.

By the Numbers: Memorial Day 2018 Travel Forecast

• This year will be the seventh straight year of state growth.
• Automobiles: More than 4.3 million Californians will drive to their destinations, 5.2 percent more that last year.
• Planes: Nearly 528,000 Californians will take to the skies, 7.5 percent more than last year.
• Trains, Buses, Rails and Cruise Ships: About 327,000 Californians will travel by other means, 3.4 percent more than last year.

Current Average Gas Prices in California

Travelers driving to their destinations will pay the most expensive Memorial Day gas prices since 2014, according to AAA. California gas prices are nearly 70 cents higher compared to last year, due to expensive crude oil, record gasoline demand and shrinking global supply.

As of May 18, these are the average regular gasoline prices by metro area in California:

• Bakersfield: $3.639
• Chico-Paradise: $3.550
• El Centro: $3.537
• Fresno: $3.663
• Hanford-Corcoran: $3.640
• Los Angeles-Long Beach: $3.748
• Madera-Chowchilla: $3.652
• Merced: $3.681
• Modesto: $3.550
• Napa: $3.764
• Oakland: $3.728
• Orange County: $3.713
• Redding: $3.704
• Riverside: $3.677
• Sacramento: $3.620
• Salinas: $3.727
• San Bernardino: $3.686
• San Diego: $3.733
• San Francisco: $3.826
• San Jose: $3.726
• San Luis Obispo-Atascadero-Paso Robles: $3.843
• San Rafael: $3.789
• Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc: $3.763
• Santa Cruz-Watsonville: $3.679
• Santa Rosa: $3.731
• Stockton-Lodi: $3.608
• Vallejo-Fairfield: $3.629
• Ventura: $3.722
• Visalia-Tulare-Porterville: $3.647
• Yolo: $3.584
• Yuba City: $3.505

Drivers Beware: Worst Times to Hit the Road

The roads in California will be the most congested in the late afternoon on Thursday, May 24 and Friday, May 25, according to INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, in collaboration with AAA. The Los Angeles and San Francisco metro areas, could experience double the travel times as commuters leave work early and mix with holiday travelers.

For Northern California residents in the greater San Francisco area, the worst holiday-related traffic delays are expected on the following roadways:

For Southern California residents in the greater Los Angeles area, the worst holiday-related traffic delays are expected on the following roadways:

• U.S. Route 101 East – Up to 47 percent time delay
• Interstate 5 South – Up to 43 percent time delay
• Interstate 405 South – Up to 35 percent time delay

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